Entries Tagged 'asian horror' ↓

Throwback: Frailty



One of the most underrated horror films of the past decade. One night, dear old Dad wakes his sons to tell them that he's been chosen by God to slay demons. Now these demons might appear to be people made of flesh and blood, but they're actually nasty demons in disguise. Armed with a trusty axe named Otis and a pair of magical gloves, the family sets off on a strange, dark journey...

Props to James Cameron for suggesting to Bill Paxton that he keep the reveal until the end. No cats leaping out of cuppboards. No one investigating strange noises in skimpy underwear. No gore. Just lots of quiet tension. Feels almost Shyamalanesque -- I'm talking pre-Happening and Lady In The Water. Also reminds me of the CW's "Supernatural" a little bit. Sam and Dean's early years. Really wish Paxton would direct more. Haven't seen much from screenwriter Brent Hanley either. Great DVD as well.

Cinderella


Creepy Asian horror flim from 2006. It's about a malevolent spirit that haunts the office of a plastic surgeon and her teen daughter. Even without the standard supernatural stuff, there's some great horror here. The subject matter would really click with Western audiences. I'm sure it's already on remake pipeline.

The Uninvited



“A Tale of Two Sisters” was probably the first Asian horror flick that made me sit up and pay attention to the genre. It was only a matter of time before Hollywood would sink its claws into the film rights, so now we have “The Uninvited”. The commercials seem creepy enough, but nothing grabs me -- really hard movie to sell without giving away the good stuff. Still, if “The Unborn” was able to make 21 million in its opening weekend, “Uninvited” should do just fine.

Shutter


That Asian horror movie remake train just keeps chugging along at full steam. I’m gonna have to make a list of all the projects in development because it’s becoming incredibly difficult to keep track of them. “Shutter” is a film I knew almost nothing about until I caught the original on the Sundance Channel’s Asia Extreme. Basically, the plot goes something like this: a photographer and his girlfriend are involved in a hit and run accident and are subsequently haunted by the ghost of their victim -- via his photographs. Sounds straightforward enough, until they go back to the scene of the crime and discover there’s little evidence to support the idea that they hit anyone. An extra helping of creepiness is added when some of their friends start committing suicide. This sounds way more interesting than the actual execution but it’s a pretty decent supernatural thriller. It’s anyone’s guess if the remake will be any good. As I’ve said before, these films are far from perfect but they approach the genre in a way that a lot of our films don’t anymore. Less emphasis on the MTV quick cut, Boo-Ha! moments and more on building suspense and trying to creep you out. I’m hoping to bring that sensibility to my “Supernatural” spec, which is still in the chicken scratch stage at this point.